“Oh, Greyson! Man, what is this? Concentrated evil? What did I feed you?”

A happy coo came from the beautiful little boy who had captured my heart and changed my life forever. Yes, I was cleaning up the worst mess I had ever seen, and it all seemed to come from one twelve-pound human. Never in my life did I think that I would be cleaning up… this, but the little dude was worth every horrible demon diaper, stained shirt, and late night in the glider in his room, trying to get him back to sleep at three a.m.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, okay?” 

I grabbed the wipes, a clean diaper, and a soft onesie for Greyson. With a shake of my head and making stinky faces at my son, I got him all cleaned and dressed. Fortunately, I had the day off from the restaurant because Greyson needed to see the doctor for his nine-month checkup. Nine months. It’s really unbelievable how my life had taken such a turn.

Picking up Greyson from the dressing table, we moved over to his favorite place in the room—his glider. We settled in with his warm blue blanket and I began to rock him back to sleep. He rested his curly head on my chest, right over my heart. I loved this little boy so much. I didn’t know I had it in me to want nothing more than to spend the night holding him close, humming out of tune lullabies and making plans for his future.

Now, at three in the morning as Greyson was settling back to sleep, I couldn’t stop my mind from drifting to Bethany.  After she had been occupying my thoughts, I’m still shocked at seeing her standing at the counter at Simmer. If I’d had the time, I would have asked her a million questions, the main one being how long she planned to stay in Savannah. What I really wanted to do was to pull her close and see if her lips were as plump and soft as I remembered. I wanted to put my nose near that sweet spot under her ear and discover if she still smelled like camellias. I wanted to see if my hands still fit perfectly on her hips, and if I pulled her close, would she still wrap around me like she was made just for me.

She was always breathtaking, but in the three years she’s been away, she’s only gotten more beautiful. Of course, I had watched every episode of her show. My DVR is full from recording new airings and even the repeats. How many times have I paused the show to simply stare at her face on my TV screen?

Nothing compared to seeing her today.

I pulled the blanket a little closer to Greyson and checked to make sure he was falling back to sleep. His little blue-green eyes, so much like all the Alexander men, were drooping and his breathing was steady. I kept the glider moving because I didn’t believe for one minute that Greyson was really down for the count.

“Hey, Grey, I saw her today. You know that pretty girl that I’ve told you about? Well, she’s home right now. She’s as pretty as she ever was.” I patted his back gently and rested my chin on top of his soft curls. His clean scent filled my nose and his soft sigh made me smile.

“I have a lot to tell her. I have to tell her about Galen, your mom… about you. She’s going to be surprised, but I hope she’s going to stay long enough to get to know you. She’s gonna love you, even if you do have those horrible demon diapers.”

After a few more minutes in the glider, with Greyson resting comfortably, I put him back in his crib. With the baby monitor in my hand and a touch to my son’s cheek, I headed back down the hallway to my room.

I grabbed my cell phone to make sure there were no messages from the restaurant. Usually I wouldn’t leave Jamie with a house full of waiting customers, but today I had to get Greyson right on time from my aunt’s house. It was her day to go and sit with Ma. Lynn Alexander has had her share of heartbreak and sickness. Losing my dad was hard, but we made it through the tough years. I did all I could to help, but she wanted me to have a chance to have a life too. We bonded over baking. It was something that she always wanted to pass on to her daughter. She got the two G boys, instead. She tried to teach me everything that she could remember from my grandmother, and wanted culinary school for me so much. When she was diagnosed with MS, I couldn’t leave. Galen was unreliable and in so much trouble. No matter how much I wanted to take that scholarship, I knew where I was needed. I had already been at Simmer. I could learn the culinary business, and I did. I went to school in Savannah and still became a pastry chef, but I also earned a business degree and worked toward a MBA.

Losing my brother took its toll on my mother and her health has been steadily getting worse. She’s a broken woman and it hurt to see her give up. Even with Greyson being here, she can’t seem to gather the will to fight. Her grandson needs her so much. He needs her here to tell him stories about his father and his grandfather. To teach him how to impress a girl with homemade chocolate chip pecan cookies. My mother’s eyes are filled with pain now, but I remember when they would dance as we spent time in her kitchen.

I glanced down at my phone to check for any texts. What I read made my eyebrows rise and my jaw drop.

Jamie: Guess who decided to come in and work an evening shift?

There was a picture attached. I clicked on it, and there was Bethany Thorne, in a Simmer polo and apron, waiting on one of the tables. She had her head thrown back and was laughing. How could she be so damn beautiful and look so right in my restaurant?

Holy shit. She actually stayed and helped out for the evening. She slipped right in and made herself at home again.

If it was up to me, she would never leave Savannah. She would be here in this house with me and Greyson, getting to know him and building a life with us. I’ve known every time that she has been back. Small town gossip and, of course, Clara and Rosemary have kept me in the loop with Bethany’s career and her visits to see her family. I hoped and prayed that, just once, she would walk through the doors of Simmer. Better yet, to be there waiting for me.

Was I really thinking earlier that I could move on with Aveline? The moment I saw Bethany again, I knew. I was never going to be able to move on from her. I’d just been marking time waiting for her. Three years I’d lost with her. Wasted time. She’s been successful and I’d never take that away from her, but I couldn’t go another three years without her. I’ve lost Galen and my mother may not be far behind. I needed Bethany. For once, I’m going to think about me. I’m getting my girl back. 

I turned off the messenger and put my phone on the nightstand near my bed, and the baby monitor next to it. I climbed in but I already knew that sleep wasn’t going to come. I wasn’t going to rest easy until Greyson was in his crib down the hall and Bethany Thorne was back in this bed with me.

“All right, Greyson. We’re here. Don’t be mad at me because of the shots.”

With his diaper bag in tow, Greyson and I headed into Dr. Patel’s office for his checkup. We were the first patients of the morning and the waiting room was calm and quiet for once. The office was decorated with an ocean theme and there were fish tanks along the wall that separated the well side of the lobby from the sick side. Greyson’s eyes always pop when we come here. All the bright colors and the fish keep him enthralled. There was always island music playing softly and a soft clean scent in the air.

We stepped into the office and checked in. Soon, we were back in one of the rooms, waiting for the doctor. Greyson had been weighed, measured, and temperature checked by one of the nurses. Greyson was popular, with his chubby cheeks and dimples. They all seemed to want to be the one taking care of him, but then they know his history, and how tough it has been for me to do this without his mother. Now the hard part—waiting and hoping all checks out with him so we could go home and play. Maybe, just maybe, I could convince Bethany to come by the house and see me.

There was a soft knock and Dr. Patel’s head peeked around the door. The man was the best doctor and I would know, since he took care of me and Galen when we were growing up. He was always smiling, even when there was bad news to share. Greyson had a tough road getting to us, and I’m hoping there’s good news this time. Dr. P. walked into the room with his hand out for a shake.

“Gideon! How are you, kid?”

Some habits never change. He’s always called me “kid.” I’m a grown man and a father, but I’m always going to be a kid to him. I had to be honest—I really liked it. After losing Dad, this man became more than my doctor. He became a mentor, a sounding board, and an amazing friend. He looked after us as best he could, stepping in at times for the father Galen and I lost. There’s no one else I would ever trust Greyson with.

“Doing great, Doc. I brought someone to see you.”

With a huge smile, Dr. Patel reached out and took Greyson from my arms. “There you are, young Master Greyson. There you are.” He bounced Greyson in his arms, and the room filled with happy baby sounds. “Let’s have a look at you and talk to your dad about your latest test results.”

I could tell from the tone of his voice that the test results were probably not what we had greatly hoped it would be. It was looking like going home to play and relax for the morning may not be in the cards for us. Still, I had to stay upbeat for Greyson.

Dr. Patel sat down with Greyson in one of the chairs. I sat down next to them, pulling out Greyson’s favorite rattle with a tiger on top. It was a great way to distract him while the doctor had a look in his ears, his throat, and his eyes. It was when he patted and tested Greyson’s stomach that I saw the concern cross his face.

“Okay, Greyson. You’re looking pretty good! You’re growing and getting taller. You’re sitting up and trying to crawl.” He looked up at me and his gray eyes flashed with caution. “Gideon, I’m concerned about his weight, and his abdomen feels hard and a bit swollen. You said that he’s had bouts of diarrhea?”

“Yeah, he has, and he hasn’t been taking his formula like he did before. Not a full bottle.”

“I want to run some tests. I don’t want to alarm you, but we know how much trouble we had, with his being a preemie and the issues his mother had with the pregnancy.”

If we had only known how much trouble she was having with Greyson, we could have done so much more to help them both. Greyson wouldn’t be without her now if we had known.

“Okay, Doc. Tell me what we have to do next. He’s my son. Whatever he needs.”

With a comforting hand to my shoulder, Dr. Patel looked me straight in the eye. “Gideon, listen to me. I have never lied to you, and I won’t keep anything from you. You have lost so much in the last year, and I will do everything in my power to protect and care for Greyson. You have my word. If we’re looking at something serious, then we have to act on it now but honestly, I think we’re just looking at some really bad reflux and a cow’s milk allergy.”

I let out an audible sigh of relief, and my shoulders dropped. I had been waiting for the worst. The relief washed over me and I fought back the tears that were threatening to fall. An allergy was something we could work around. It meant a change in his formula, maybe adding some new meds to help him with the reflux.  

But I wasn’t going to lose him.

Thank God.

After we set up the appointment to have Greyson’s tests performed, I gathered up all the myriad of things that come along with a baby, took Greyson in my arms, and we headed out of the exam room. Dr. Patel clapped me on the back and put his hand back on my shoulder. “I don’t want you to worry. Well, I know that’s easier said than done. We’ve changed his formula. Start that now. When we get the tests back, we’ll go forward. In the mean time, you call if you need me.”

I smiled at Doc and thanked him for all he had done to help Greyson. We headed toward the doors and told the staff goodbye until the next time. Now I was going to get my son home for some playtime and a long nap.

I had a cake to create for Clara’s engagement party. But first I had to put my plan in motion for Bethany to come over. It was time for us to talk.